Srikant P · 4 November 2000

I read somewhere that “Tambourine Man” is street-slang for a drug peddler. Can anyone please comment?

Thanks,
Srikant

Rick & Sally · 19 January 2001

this poem has been such an inpiration to me i am a 16 year old girl and going through many problems everywhere this poem has always been an inspiration and always will
thank you bob dylan
you don’t know how much this means.

Steve · 30 January 2002

My only comment is that you have ommited the last and most important verse that completes the song which is:

Then take me dissapearing through the smoke rings of my mind, down the foggy ruins of time, far past the frozen leaves, out to the windy beach far from the twisted reach, of crazy sorrow, yes to dance beneath the diamond sky, with one hand waving free, silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, with all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves,
let me forget about today until tomorrow.

If you are going to display the work of a poetic genious, it deserves to be seen in its entirety dont you think?.

Xskateboy12X · 7 March 2003

I read somewhere that “Tambourine Man” is street-slang for a drug peddler. Can anyone please comment?

Tambourine man is a drug peddler back then when the poem was written people were not aloud to write about drugs so they used poetic laguage do discribe drugs and drug pebblers i not sure if it’s realy slang though

ommadawn852 · 17 August 2004

Obviously some drug references here but Dylan always hedges his bets by giving 2 or 3 meanings to anything he writes. The Tambourine Man is the one who leads a funeral procession in New Orleans. Don’t know if that’s what Bob had in mind but it doesn’t contradict the other interpretations when you consider the idea of escapism from “..ancient empty streets too dead for dreaming” whether by sleep, death or drugs.

Russell · 18 August 2004

two readers have already pointed out that the last verse has been omitted and have supplied it. how come it’s not been added to your text?

puer senex

Tom Fontana · 19 November 2004

One time the great poet Robert Frost was asked if the poem, The Road Not taken, was about an experience in the poet’s life. He answered that a poem is never about an experience, it is an experience.

If you succeed in determining exactly what Dylan meant in Mr. Tambourine Man, you will have succeeded in destroying it.

Tom

Bethblaine · 7 February 2005

I am doing a research project for a Rock and Roll history course on cover songs. Of course, I know the Byrds covered Tambourine Man, but I am wondering if any one else knows of other covers of this song. You can email me at() . It would be greatly appreciated!!

Bethblaine · 12 February 2005

This is just my interpretation of Mr. Tambourine Man.

when Bobby Dylan says in the Jingle Jangle “Morning”, it could be sabymnal for the Jingle Jangle “mourning” as in mourning over someones death at a funeral.

“Thou i know that evening empire has returned into sand, vanished from my hand, left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping “… I think hes talking about Crystal Meth. Crystal Meth keeps you awake for days on end and is a drug that is sniffed. When Evening’s Empire vanishes from his hand, it means that he has snorted the drug and is awake all night. Then he goes on to talk about how “his wearyness amazes him, hes branded on his feet. Has no one to meet. And the Ancient, Empty Streets too dead for dreaming.” it means that on his intoxication he is on a lonley street corner possible waiting for a drug dealer?

” Take me on a Trip upon your Magic, Swirling ship” He’s talking about herion. The magic swirling ship is when you shoot up on herion, you suck back in some of the blood into the needle to make sure you get all the herion. Which is why it is referred to as a ‘swirlling ship’. Then of course “my senses have been stripped. my hands cant feel to grip. my toes to numb to step” wait only for my boot heels to be woundering”, explains itself. “im ready to go anywhere im ready for to fade into my own parade. Cast your dancing spell my way i promise to go under it” which just means he is fading into his own happiness under the drug.

Then the whole next versus is about his hollusinations he sees while on the drug. Apparently he sees shadows across the sun and is hearing voices in his head.

Then Bobby talks about a deep transe and i guess is in a dream of a place he would rather be, by the ocean. “ let me forget about today until tommorow” Obviously means to Fuck everything and get lost in the drug, for now anyways

Craig Berg · 1 April 2005

And then there’s the amazing final verse:

Then take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind, Down the foggy ruins of time,
Far past the frozen leaves,
The haunted frightened trees,
Out to the windy beach,
Far from the twisted reach
Of crazy sorrow.
Yes, to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free, Silouetted by the sea,
Circled by the circus sands,
With all memory and fate driven deep beneath the waves, Let me forget about today until tomorrow.

I lived in India for four and a half years and was amazed to see how popular Western music is there.

Enjoy…
Craig Berg

Anter Steven · 14 April 2005

These lyrics are too good for someone the likes of Bob Dylan to have written. I think they must have been written by Allen Ginsburg.

Steve

Anter Steven · 15 April 2005

Correction: Allen Ginsberg

Steven Anter

EXT 11296

Sr Programmer Analyst

Wolky · 6 May 2005

Ohhhh Anter,
Do you honestly believe that such a strong devotee to Walt Whitman as was Allen Ginsberg, and one who would write almost exclusively in blank verse, would take time out to help his buddy Bob by conceiving such unlikely (for Ginsberg) rhymes as “And but for the sky there are no fences facin’” and “it’s just a shadow that you’re seein’ that he’s chasin’”? I think not.

Wolky

Wolky · 23 May 2005

how silly you are, steveanter. there is nothing ginsbergian about mr. tambourine man. for one thing it rhymes all over the place. ginsberg was a blank verse poet. he didn’t like to rhyme.

Maciej · 12 November 2005

Can someone, please, tell me what the phrase ‘I’m branded on my feet…’ exactly means? I’ve tried to look it up in all the dictionaries I know but haven’t found the explanation so far. (I’m not a native speaker of English.) Thanks in advance for any help. -Matthew C.

G.A.A. Quaedvlieg · 2 December 2005

I’m not sure but I think the words of Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man cannot be explained by isolating them from the music. Only when I hear the song (poem, melody, rithm, not to forget Dylans melodramatic accent!!!) it brings me back to my personal experiences of a unique time.

I think that everybody has his own experience and fantasy by hearing the song but there is a common atmosphere you can feel, don’t you? Just play the song…and enjoy!!

Jim Burns · 19 April 2006

Hi. Being the same age as Bob Dylan I’ve been listening to his music for a long time. Just my opinion, but it’s quite possible that “branded on my feet” means nothing more than some words that seemed to fit, sounded good and felt right coming out of his mouth at that time. I love that song!

Hugo Estrada · 25 April 2007

Here is another possible interpretation.

If we let these line, evenin’s empire has returned into sand, vanished from my hand,” to stand for a person who has had a great lost, then the song is about deep sorrow and the desire to find a few minutes of comfort through music and drugs. It really doesn’t matter which one it is: both can let us forget sorrow.

And let me go by repeating the lines where there is a beautiful image of freedom and inner peace:

“with one hand waving free, silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands, with all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves,
let me forget about today until tomorrow.”